Sleepless Nights
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: He was the last thing on her mind when she went to sleep at night, and any morning that started with her seeing him was going to be a great morning!  Het.


Title: "Sleepless Nights"  
>Author: Pirate Turner<br>Dedicated To: My beloved Jack, my incredible Muse, and the wondrous love and light of my life: I love you, my dearest heart, beloved husband, and every day and night spent with you is truly awesome!  
>Rating: PG-13<br>Summary: He was the last thing on her mind when she went to sleep at night, and any morning that started with her seeing him was going to be a great morning!  
>Warnings: Het<br>Word Count: 1,519  
>Date Written: 6 September, 2011<br>Challenge: For a DiteysBlessings LJ comm's monthly challenge  
>Disclaimer: Alek, Chloe, all other characters mentioned within, and The Nine Lives of Chloe King are &amp; TM ABC Family and any other rightful owners, none of whom are the author. Everything else is &amp; TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.<p>Green eyes popped open in the still of the black night. Their owner had been deep asleep until a yowl had broken her from that sleep, and now she lay, listening to the sounds of a fight on her rooftop. "Not again," she protested in a whispered moan. It was tiresome enough fighting to stay alive in the daytime, but this was the fourth time that Alek had intercepted some one on her rooftop who was out to kill her. A girl needed her beauty sleep, especially when her days were as long and hard as Chloe's, but the Order didn't even want to let her rest at night.<p>

She listened to the sounds of fists slamming, feet kicking, and bodies being thrown, and it took her until she heard a second yowl before she was finally moving. Yet, no sooner did she start to slip from her bed than everything grew suddenly still and silent again. She froze, her bare feet half way to the floor, as she listened closely for any sign to tell her the outcome of the battle, but she heard nothing save the panting of her own breath and quickened beating of her heart.

She pulled her feet back onto the bed, her hands balling into fists and her claws instinctively unsheathing. There was not a sound of movement above her, and for the first time in a long time, fear not for herself caught at Chloe's heart. What had happened to Alek? Why was it so quiet? He couldn't have lost! He was the bravest and strongest man she had ever known; nothing could beat him!

And yet it was still quiet. Her heart pounded harder. Tears began to well into her worried, green eyes. He couldn't have been beat! Her heroic, gallant Protector could not have lost! Though she'd been angry with Alek for it seemed, at times, a horribly long time and was still sometimes annoyed by his antics at school, Chloe had come, in secret, to think of him as her Knight. He was as brave and steadfast as any Knight in any fairy tale or King Arthur legend. He couldn't have fallen.

Still there was no sound nor sign to tell Chloe what had happened. She was just about to slip from her bed and go see for herself when a shadow fell across her window. She should have been more afraid, she thought, and yet somehow, she wasn't. She knew immediately, before her frightened, green eyes turned in that direction, that it was no member of the Order, Hyena, or other villain looking in on her. It was her Knight. Her eyes turned to the window and met his gaze, and she smiled, her heart changing its quickened beat and continuing to pound for an entirely different reason other than fear. It was her Alek.

He stood with his forehead, the tip of his nose, and one hand pressed against her window pane, watching her intently. His jacket was ripped, and her keen eyes could make out a scratch on his handsome face. Otherwise he appeared unharmed. The corners of her lips curved higher up. He had won! He had saved her life again this night, and she knew he always would as long as there was even a single breath left in his body.

His eyes gazed into hers over the distance that separated them. His fingers curled against the cool window pane of her glass, and she shivered delightedly as she imagined their touch against her cheek. "You're safe," he mouthed and then grinned as he noted the scent of her fear. "No need to worry. I'll keep you safe. Go back to sleep."

She wanted to go to him. She wanted to walk to that window, open it, and let him into her room, her heart, and her life, and yet if she let him in this time of the night, Chloe knew what would happen. There was no one else she'd prefer to share that most intimate of first moments with, but yet Chloe knew she wasn't ready for that ultimate loving. Not yet. Despite all the changes in her world, despite the fact that she knew truths of reality, some of which were horribly harsh, that the vast majority of adults would never know, Chloe was still only sixteen. She'd barely started kissing guys; she wasn't ready for the other.

She continued to lay there, gazing into his sexy eyes and smiling up at him, until Alek did the gallant thing, as always he did. He gave her one last smile for the night and wished her, "Sweet dreams." Then he pulled away, slipping out of her vision. Chloe waited until she was sure he wasn't returning to her window and he was indeed alone on her rooftop and out of danger before closing her eyes again. This time, she drifted swiftly off to slumber and dreamed sweet dreams of her heroic, courageous, and beloved Protector.

It wasn't until Alek heard Chloe's breathing grow soft again and the quiet, little purrs she now made while sleeping that he moved back to her window. There, he stood, watching over her, his fingers once more touching her glass in their aching desire to touch her instead, as he watched her sleep. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and she lay before him, her long, blonde hair pooling around her like liquid gold, like a dream come true. He watched her and dreamed, with his eyes wide open, of the day when he would claim her sweet, soft lips with his own and her heart as his forever more.

He stood just that way, watching over her all night long, and would be there always for her, watching over and protecting her from all the harm that ever tried to come her way. When the early morning rays of dawn started to creep over the distant horizon, Alek was still there, standing at her window, his hand pressed against her glass, and his unblinking, green eyes intently watching her. The golden rays of the sun pulled Chloe awake, and the first thing she saw as her eyes opened was his enchanting, emerald orbs still watching her. She smiled, slipped from her bed, walked over to him, and, in the safety of daylight, opened her window at long last. "Good morning," she greeted and softly and yet boldly kissed his waiting, hopeful lips which she'd dreamed of throughout all her slumber.

Alek's lips tingled as they curved up into a wide grin. "It always is," he said, rising his eyebrows slightly in invitation, "when it's got you in it."

She blushed at his sweetly and smoothly spoken compliment. "Let me get dressed," she told him.

His smile grew dangerous, the tips of his teeth glistening in the sun's early morning rays. Dawn's pink hue illuminated his blonde hair, and if Chloe'd not known better, she could have almost sworn there were shadows tipping his head in the forms of horns. "No one's keeping you."

She grinned and pushed gently against his shoulder. "Go," she told him, "and then come meet me for breakfast."

He bowed as he pulled away, his lips still tingling in delight and his whole body yearning to take her in his arms and get more of those delicious kisses. He knew she wasn't ready, however, and he'd wait however long she needed until she was. Then he'd make sweet, passionate love to her and show her, from that moment forward, every minute of every day and night how infinitely much he loved and would always love her alone. Yet, for now, she still wasn't ready and needed his understanding; Alek would always give her everything she needed that he could. Still bowing, he answered, "As the Uniter wishes, so shall her Protector do."

He almost practically disappeared before her very eyes in the early morning sun, but he left her with a huge smile filling her face. Chloe darted her gaze over the rooftop, but she saw no sign of him. She shut the curtains any way, just in case, as she turned and hurried to get dressed, eager to start her day with him. Like any Knight, Alek was full of baloney, she reflected, giggling over his last statement, but he was right about a few things. One of them, definitely, was that any morning that started with her seeing him was going to be a great morning!

Still smiling, she slipped into her clothes and hurried to meet him at her door. Despite her sleep being interrupted the night before, she wasn't tired at all today. She felt like she could take on the whole world, and with her beloved Alek at her side, that's exactly what she'd do. They'd take on the whole world together, if that's what it took to unite each other and their people, and not only would they win, but as long as they were together, they'd have a wonderful time through all the battles, sleepless nights, and early morning rises yet to come!

**The End**


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